[SELF-RELEASED DIY]
Subvision have been on the go for 5 years now since they reformed in 2012.
They steadily built up a decent reputation for delivering their own brand of heavy, dark, metallic, almost crust. On the same sort of tangent as Amebix, Antisect or Tau Cross.
This newest release continues the development and powerful riffs pulse and grind away in fine style throughout.
First track ‘Not In My Name’ kicks things off with mid-paced crunch that isn’t far from Pandemonium era Killing Joke at times. Beve rails at our political (mis)leaders in a gruff and angered tone that Jaz would be proud of.
Next up, ‘New Alcatraz’ was a stand-out song for me at the Black Bull gig earlier this year. Great riff, to kick things off and the Tau Cross/Killing Joke sound is really driving this cracking track along, with solid double bass run in the middle of the song before a nice meaty tribal section brings a bit of dynamics into things really well.
‘Suffer’ reminds me of the new (and in some parts much maligned sadly) new Antisect. Great lyrics about the plight of unwanted kids dragged into this world through no fault of their own.
‘Any Other Master’ slows things down a little with a meaty, brooding bass riff and a really tight drum fill before the vocals kick in. Lyrics dealing with a friend turned loan shark make for an unusual topic, but really well done.
‘Atrocity’ chugs into life with a throbbing bass and chopping guitar riff. It breaks down in the middle with a really neat, chunky guitar break and tribal drums and morphs into a seriously chunky ending. While Beve’s vocals speak of life’s lack of value and the describes the wasteland left by military action abroad.
Last up is ‘Your Country Doesn’t Need You’. Ominous sirens set the tone, before the song kicks in and lyrics with “Policies have murdered in the land of the free!” and you can bet the American successive failures of foreign and home policies are the target for Beve’s ire here. Guitarists Dave and Pete lock into a nifty almost Maidenesque duel lead.
The whole package is wrapped in the usual amazing package as previous releases by Subvision. Rab Kettles does a cracking line of dark, Celtic laced, mystical and apocalyptic symbolism.
All in all a great release. My only criticism is the restrained and steady pace throughout. One or two quicker songs would have lifted the album from a slightly mid-paced tempo throughout. But that’s only a minor gripe, and they have quicker songs in their set.
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